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Hermes agent maker Nous Research in talks for new funding at $1.5B valuation
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Nous Research, the startup behind the open-source Hermes agent, is finalizing a new round of funding led by Robot Ventures, with significant participation from USV and other prominent investors at a $1.5 billion valuation, according to three sources with knowledge of the deal. The company is raising at least $75 million, and fielded a high level of interest from investors. Nous Research declined to comment, while USV and Robot Ventures did not respond to requests for comment.
Founded in 2023 by Jeffrey Quesnelle, Karan Malhotra, Ryan Teknium, and Shivani Mitra, Nous Research previously raised a total of $70 million from investors including Paradigm, Robot Ventures, North Island Ventures, OSS Capital, and Balaji Srinivasan, according to Crunchbase. The new funding round underscores growing investor enthusiasm for autonomous AI agents.
Weeks after Openclaw’s agent went viral, Nous Research released its own competitor called Hermes. Unlike Openclaw, Hermes shipped with built-in “skills,” such as web search, coding, and image understanding. It was designed to automatically learn from usage and build more skills without manual intervention. Additionally, the startup has released language models focused on coding and math.
Just like Openclaw, users can automate tasks with Hermes and interact with these agents via Telegram and Discord. These tools have become increasingly popular as they allow users to run their AI agents remotely and around the clock. The open-source nature of Hermes has driven widespread adoption.
Hermes has amassed a massive following on GitHub, boasting roughly 214,000 stars and nearly 40,000 forks. Developers can run Hermes on a desktop or on a virtual private server. For those preferring simplicity, Nous Research also offers a cloud-hosted version with paid tiers ranging from $20 to $200 per month.
Sources say the new funding will help to expand Hermes’ products and business model further. The investment comes as competition in the AI agent space heats up, with startups racing to offer more autonomous and versatile tools. The high valuation reflects belief in the potential of open-source agents to capture enterprise and consumer markets.
Looking ahead, Nous Research is likely to invest in skill development, cloud infrastructure, and enterprise partnerships. With the new capital, the startup aims to solidify its position in the rapidly growing AI agent ecosystem, potentially challenging proprietary competitors. The future of automated assistants hinges on continued innovation and user adoption.
